#(made this and jay and elle demanded i post it)

[meanbeanshitpostmachine]

[ginnyzero]

Completely Harmless Ch. 62

Completely Harmless An SSO SilverGlade Re-imagining Story (Or Fix it Fan Salt fic) By Ginny O.

When Lily and her friends wanted to buy horses and were directed to the Silverglade Manor and its myriad of problems, they didn’t expect to start a revolution. They were just a bunch a stable girls. Completely harmless. Right?

A/N: Things are only canon if I say they’re canon. Pre-Saving the Moorland Stables compliant for the most part. Posted in its entirety on my website. Posted in 2000 to 4000 word bits here. Rated T for Swearing Word Count 177,577

Chapter Sixty-Two Commence Rescue!

Pi tugged her hat low over her eyes. “Do I look evil?” She’d smeared green makeup on her face and hands. Her hair powdered with green chalk.

“Good enough for government work,” Lily said blandly.

Alex leaned into Tin Can’s nose. “We’ll be back in hours. I promise.”

Tin Can huffed and pawed the ground.

“No. You can’t come with us. That’s too many to get back off.”

Tin Can neighed.

“I don’t care if he’s going. You can’t. Lily needs him.”

Tin Can trumpeted now.

“Of course I need you. I don’t like it either.” Alex flung her arms around his neck. “I have to rescue them. I have to. I can’t leave them there, any of them. And you have to do your part.”

Tin Can lowered his head.

Lily took the harp case strapped to Nimbus’ side off. She handed it to Linda. “Keep it safe and remember, once you have the gate open.”

“Don’t stop playing,” Linda nodded. “Be careful.”

“That’s not exactly what this mission is about.” Lily smiled at her.

“Okay, don’t die,” Linda amended.

They hugged.

Linda let her go and touched Alex’s shoulder.

Alex turned and they hugged tightly.

“You’ve got this,” Linda whispered.

Pi cleared her throat. “It’s time.”

Linda and Alex parted and Linda grabbed Tin Can’s reins.

“Follow me, but not too closely,” Pi said. She tugged Saga’s reins and walked on. “Come on, Saga. Let’s get you to Justin.”

Alex patted her pockets. “Okay, I’ve got my chap stick.”

“He’s lucky it isn’t lipstick.”

Alex groaned. “Don’t start, Lily, please.”

They followed Pi taking care to hang back enough it didn’t look like they were following her. Pi led Saga straight to the site manager.

“Is this the horse?” he asked.

“Is this the horse? Of course this is the horse. Would I be bringing any other horse?” Pi glared at him.

The site manager held out his hand.

Saga reared slightly.

Pi sneered at him. “You think he’s going to trust a peon. Show me the container and I’ll get him settled. You must be new.”

The site manager scowled, but led the way to a container.

Pi let him open it. “I can take it from here. Tell Mr. Sands I kept my side of the bargain. I expect payment promptly.”

The site manager did more than grunt as he stomped off.

Lily and Alex waited until he was gone and slipped around the container. Lily backed Nimbus in beside Saga and they stepped inside.

Pi lowered her voice. “I’m going to shut and lock you in. The Baroness will be here soon. Hold tight. You’ll get there one way or the other.”

The doors shut.

They assumed Pi left.

A few minutes later, truck engines roared and halted nearby. Doors slammed.

“This is the Jorvik Rangers. Nobody move,” the Master Ranger yelled. “Who is in charge here?”

They waited holding onto Saga and Nimbus as they heard people running about and within fifteen minutes the chopping blades of a helicopter.

Mr. Sands spoke once it was quiet. “What is this, Annabella?”

“This is an eviction notice, John, effective immediately.”

Mr. Sands was silent for a few minutes as he read the papers. “This is a bold move for you.”

The Baroness’ voice turned dark and furious. “You have our grandson. You really believed that I would sit back and do nothing. I told you I was coming for you.”

“He came of his own free will.”

“I would believe that when the sun starts rising in the west. You may think he’s out of my reach and power, and you’d be wrong.”

“You have no power over me. I’ve always been the stronger of the two of us.”

“And you never understood that I don’t need magic to wield power. I will drive you off of Jorvik. You can live in your little oil rigs. Your games here in my county are over. I think you’ll find my arm is long enough to haunt you wherever you go.”

“There’s still time to change your mind.”

“We both chose our paths years ago. Get off my beach.”

The helicopter started again. And soon enough, the container moved. Lily and Alex didn’t dare say anything to one another. They didn’t know if they’d be overheard. The container swayed and settled with a clunk onto metal decking.

From the inside of the container it was difficult to know if they were moving or not. Engines faintly throbbed when they pressed their ears to the walls.

It didn’t take as long as the rowboat. In fact, the barges were about as fast as the ferry. Soon enough, they bumped up against something that rattled. The container lifted upwards, swung through the air and landed again.

Lily and Alex looked at each other. Show time.

The doors swung open.

Lily sniffed. “Why thank you, how magnaminous of you,” she said as she tugged Nimbus’ reins and sashayed out of the container.

Alex grabbed Saga’s reins. She smirked at them.

“Who the hell are you?” one of the men demanded.

“What? Pi didn’t say.” Lily widened her eyes. “Alex, I swore Pi was going to say something. She told me that she was going to send a message ahead.”

“Filthy witches.”

“We’re the new recruits. Pi trusts us to deliver Saga to--” Lily turned her head. “What was his name?”

“Jay, Jay,” Alex trailed off.

“Justin,” one of the men said.

“Justin, that’s the name.” Lily smiled. “So, if you’ll point the way.”

“First I’ve heard of new recruits,” the man said and glowered.

“Witches.” Alex curled her lip. “You can’t trust them. You just can’t.”

“Easy, Alex, I’m sure this is a little misunderstanding. Something must have gone wrong in all the commotion.” Lily waved her hand. She turned a dazzling smile on the man and bared her teeth. “Well?”

“Let the boss sort it out,” one of the men said to the other.

“Fine. I’ll only tell you once. Justin’s waiting at the helicopter pad for Mr. Sands to return.” He gave them directions.

Lily simpered. “Thank you ever so much. I’ll be sure to tell Mr. Sands and Justin that it was,” she paused.

“Number 47,” he growled.

“Number 47 that sent us. I’m sure he’ll give you your just reward,” Lily fluttered her lashes and led Nimbus away. “Glorious revolution awaits.” She sauntered off leading Nimbus.

Alex sniffed and followed Lily. She had a hard time keeping a straight face once they were out of earshot and given the noise it was relatively quickly. “Glorious revolution,” she drawled. “Laying it on a bit thick.”

Lily stuck her tongue out at her.

“Can’t believe they bought it,” Alex cracked her neck.

They already knew the way. Lily nodded at the guards who weren’t quite sure what to do with two young women brazenly leading horses and looking like they knew where they were going. “Hello, hello, good evening,” Lily said to each of them as they passed.

Alex glowered and kept her shoulders stiff. Her boots made a racket as she stomped down the metal walkways. She thought one word, murder. The men scrambled to get out of her way.

Mr. Sands disembarked from the helicopter. His face clouded with anger. “This is merely a setback. We weren’t acquiring what we needed from there anyways. Not with those meddling stable girls.”

Lily smirked.

The helicopter rose in the air, hovered, and flew away to the north.

Lily and Alex led the horses up the final stairs to the platform. “Mr. Sands,” Lily said boldly. “Just the gentleman I was looking for. Witch Pi sends her regards. And,” she stepped to the side, “the Dark Horse, as agreed.”

Alex tugged Saga forward and tossed her head. Her eyes landed on Justin.

“Wait,” the red hooded girl said. “I think I know the two of you.” She pushed her hood back revealing the face of Sabine.

Lily knew she’d recognized the voice.

“You’re,” Sabine pointed at Alex, “you’re the Soul Rider, Alex Cloudmill.”

“Was a Soul Rider, past tense, sweetheart,” Alex drawled.

“And you, you’re that stable girl from the Winery, Ell, something or other.”

“To be so insignificant you can’t even remember the name of the one who stole it out from under you.” Lily sniffed. “A stroke of genius on my part.” She stroked Nimbus’ mane. “My name is Lily and the Baroness trusts me completely. The same can’t be said about you, Dark Rider.”

Jessica pushed her hood back. “She has a point. You had one job.”

“Oh, like you were able to get the deed for Moorland Stables? That was your job and you bungled it.”

“Princess,” Mr. Sands said in a soothing voice. “Sabine.”

The girls turned away from each other and crossed their arms.

“You expect to win with help like this,” Alex gestured dismissively.

“Like we should trust you,” Jessica said sneering.

“You shouldn’t,” Lily said.

“We got here, didn’t we,” Alex pointed out.

That shut the two up.

“Take care of your horses with the rest, and we’ll discuss your change of heart,” Mr. Sands said. “Over lasagna.”

“I love lasagna,” Justin said with a grin.

Alex handed him Saga’s reins.

Saga snorted and rolled her eyes.

“What, you didn’t miss me?” Justin said. “I missed you.”

Saga turned her head to Alex.

“Wait,” Jessica said. “Where’s your horse, Cloudmill? That ugly one.”

“He repudiated me. The nag. He wasn’t about to turn against the Keepers.”

“My horse does what I tell him to do,” Sabine smirked.

“Maybe your horse doesn’t have opinions. Or maybe he does and you don’t know how to hear them,” Alex retorted. “I can always get a new horse, a better one.”

“A dark one,” Lily said in a sultry voice as she patted Nimbus’ side.

“Yes, a dark one,” Jessica hissed.

“This way,” Justin said and led the way with Saga reluctantly following him. He led them to a stable.

Alex counted the horses, six, including Saga.

“Who are the other horses for?” she asked.

“Katya and Elise, they’re in Pandoria chasing down Lisa,” Justin said as he backed Saga into a stall.

Lily chose a free one and put Nimbus into it.

“I know you two are up to something.” Justin frowned at them and took Saga’s tack off.

Alex leaned against the door. “Ohhh, we’re up to something.”

“Grandfather won’t keep you around. We already have four Dark Riders.”

“I never said we were angling to become Dark Riders,” Lily pointed out.

Justin blinked slowly. He snorted. “Generals? Are you crazy?”

Alex laughed. “We’re more competent than the other lot.”

“You need leaders,” Lily said.

Alex gestured under her chin hand flat. “Us.”

Justin snorted. “Come on, before they eat all the lasagna.”

Alex hooked her arm around his. “This is going to be amazing. You’ll see.” She turned her head. “Lily?”

“I need to check his hooves. He’s been fussy of late.”

Alex nodded. “Hurry it up then.”

“How will you know where to go?” Justin twisted his body to look at her.

“I’ll follow my nose.” Lily tapped it.

Justin shrugged. “We won’t wait.”

They left the stable. Not that it was a great stable.

Lily walked over to Concorde. “They didn’t even search us. Can you believe it?”

Concorde snorted.

“Okay, the Helmsman and Captain Brus should be in place,” Lily said. “Ready to get out of here?”

He nodded his head.

Lily found a halter and put it on him. She snapped a lead rope to it. Opening the door she let him walk out. “We have to hurry,” she said and ran out of the stable.

Concorde kept up at a trot. His shoes sparking on the metal.

Lily didn’t look to the left or the right as she jogged Concorde back the way they came, but not completely. The barge had docked on a different section of the rig than where the Helmsman could sidle up to the huge oil rig.

“Hey!” One of the men shouted.

“Oh, Number 47, the boss told me to move this horse,” Lily said. “You know how it is, you show up and they give you drudge work.”

He frowned at her. “The boss?”

“Mr. Sands,” Lily sighed. “You can take it up with him. I don’t want to be doing it.” She held out the rope. “Unless you want to?”

He backed up and held up his hands. “Carry on then.”

Lily nodded and continued. She slowed to a walk and they went down the stairs out of sight of the men.

The helmsman was waiting for them. “Don’t dally long,” he said.

“We won’t,” Lily said.

Concorde stepped into the boat.

The helmsman rowed away. Lily took out binoculars and looked over the sea. She could see Mr. Brus’ ship in the distance. She nodded to herself and headed back up avoiding all the guards.

She did follow her nose to the lasagna.

Alex sat in a chair with her combat boots up on the table. “I want to be on the winning side,” she said. “It’s that simple. Elizabeth won’t tell us anything. She orders us around as if we’re her servants to do her drudge work. She can’t even pick a simple bunch of herbs by herself. Every time you want to do something, she runs off and has to ask Fripp. You’d think a grown woman would be able to make up her own mind without the aid of a blue squirell. I tell you, Linda’s almost as fed up as I am.” She cut off a corner of lasagna and ate it.

Justin ate looking like he was actually enjoying the food.

Lily would have been more worried except Alex had told her lasagna was Justin’s favorite food and no matter how bad things were, he’d eat lasagna. She dished herself a large helping and leaned against the table crossing her ankles. “It’s simple tactics,” she said.

Jessica frowned. “Cloudmill, I can understand, but not you.” She turned her gaze to Lily.

Lily shrugged. “I go where I smell power. I don’t care who rules anywhere, as long as I get my piece of the pie.”

“You have a riding club.” Sabine sneered.

“You think far too small.” Lily raised a brow. “Of course, I have a riding club, sweetie. That’s part of the power here on Jorvik. If I was anywhere else, it’d be Girl Scouts, or cheerleading, or a sorority.” She waved her fork before cutting off another bite. “Here, it’s riding clubs. They get you close to the people in power and once you have their trust. You can get them to do anything you want. Stepping stones across a river.”

Jessica frowned. “We don’t need them,” she said to Mr. Sands.

Mr. Sands rubbed his chin. “Now, now, we might need them more than you think. My darling Annabella has kicked us out of her county.”

“She can’t enforce it.” Jessica sneered.

“Of course she can’t,” Alex drawled. “Not if we’re your agents in South New Jorvik County. They don’t have to know I’ve switched sides. Tin Can has gone somewhere to sulk. He’s not about to tell the Keepers of Aideen that he lost his rider anytime soon. We have a window of opportunity.”

“One that we can take advantage of,” Lily said.

“Strike while the iron is hot, so to speak.” Alex shrugged a shoulder.

“This must be considered carefully, but swiftly,” Mr. Sands said in agreement.

“Preferably before we’re missed.” Lily looked at her nails. She looked around. “I’m not sure this place meets my cleanliness standards.”

Jessica scoffed. “Don’t be a rube. We don’t actually stay here. We have palatial rooms at,” she yelped as Sabine elbowed her.

“It’s not a state secret that Mr. Sands has a mansion on Pine Hill,” Alex said raising her brow. “Linda’s been there, remember?”

“If she decides to defect, she’ll know where to join us,” Lily said and continued to eat.

Alex swung her legs down. “So, do we get a tour, or do I get to explore on my own.”

Justin stood up. “I’ll show you around,” he said with a look at his grandfather.

Mr. Sands nodded.

FOR THE ACCOMPANYING IMAGES PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE MY WATERMARK AND CONTACT INFORMATION. THANK YOU. I get it. Some of you might get excited and want to see this stuff in the game, especially the clothes, tack, and pets. However, the only way I want to see this in the game is if I get paid for it. If I see it in the game and I’m not paid for it, there will be hell to pay. You think I’m salty. I’d be angry. Personally, I’m not going to send this info to SSO. If you do, leave my contact information there! Don’t give them any excuses to steal.

Now, I’ll know you haven’t read this note if you leave me comments about how ‘salty’ I am about the game and if I hate it so much I should do something else. I am doing something else. It’s called Mystic Riders MMORPG Project. Mystic Riders however is a very baby phase game. You can check out our plans on the game dev blog. (Skills, Factions, Professions, Crafting, Mini-Games, 25+ horse breeds!) If you know anyone who would be interested and has money or contacts about game making, direct them to the blog.

[theconservativebrief]

In March, Tiffany Haddish — the breakout star of last summer’s Girls Trip — gave the world a gift. She gave us some of the most entrancing gossip to hit the Internet since that time she told us all about taking Will and Jada Pinkett Smith on a Groupon swamp tour.

In a dishy and absorbing new profile by Caity Weaver for GQ, Haddish tells the world that somebody bit Beyoncé.

The time: last December. The place: the afterparty for Jay-Z’s concert in Inglewood, California. (You may recall this as the party that prompted Beyoncé to write the lyric, “If they’re tryna party with the queen, they gon’ have to sign a nondisclosure.”) The perpetrator: unknown.

Here’s what Haddish says went down:

“There was this actress there,” continues Haddish, keeping her voice low, “that’s just, like, doing the mostest.” One of the most things she did? “She bit Beyoncé in the face.”

Haddish declines to name the actress. […]

“Near the end of the party,” says Haddish, describing her final run-in with Mrs. Carter sometime later, “Beyoncé’s at the bar, so I said to Beyoncé, ‘Did she really bite you?’ She was like, ‘Yeah.’ I was like, ‘She gonna get her ass beat tonight.’ She was like, ‘Tiffany, no. Don’t do that. That bitch is on drugs. She not even drunk. The bitch is on drugs. She not like that all the time. Just chill.’ ”

Across the internet, gossip site after gossip site became absorbed with the same burning question: What kind of person would go around biting Beyoncé?

“Hold my earrings,” began R. Thomas Eric for Elle, “somebody actually bit Beyoncé and I’m about to snap.”

“To be clear,” wrote Hunter Harris for Vulture, “An actress (!) bit (!!) Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (!!!).”

“Who the hell bit Beyoncé in the face?” demanded Kristin Correy at Vice.

In June, we finally learned the answer. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Haddish heavily implied that the Beyoncé-biter was none other than Sanaa Lathan.

On one level, the reason that this story is spreading far and wide is pretty clear: Someone bit arguably the biggest star in the world on her face. That’s nuts! Of course everyone wants to know who did it!

But the story also benefits from being told by someone like Haddish, and the very specific way her celebrity interacts with Beyoncé’s.

Haddish made the jump from working actress to movie star over the course of 2017. That means that right now, she’s at the stage of her celebrity in which she can mine enormous amounts of goodwill from reacting to her new famous friends like a nonfamous normal person, like you and me.

“Ah,” you think, as you listen to her tell her stories. “I too would drive carefully if I had Will Smith in my car! I too would offer to pay for the Groupon if Jada Pinkett Smith wanted to go on a swamp tour with me! And I too would want to defend Beyoncé’s honor should someone bite her on the face in front of me, and of course I would then immediately tell the world that there are people trying to bite Beyoncé out here.”

It’s a dance we’ve seen before — remember an ascendant Jennifer Lawrence meeting Jack Nicholson in 2013? — but it’s one Haddish is extraordinarily good at. She’s a scrappy underdog, a Woman of the People, pulling back the curtain and giving us all a glimpse at what it’s like to live on the other side, and we love her for it.

Beyoncé, meanwhile, has built her fame on doing the exact opposite. She tells the world very little, and what she does say is tightly controlled. Beyoncé has not granted an interview to anyone in years. If she wants to announce something, she’ll stage an elaborate artistic photoshoot and then post it on her Instagram. Beyoncé sings about making her friends sign nondisclosure agreements. Beyoncé is an untouchable queen whose life we could never hope to understand, and we love her for it.

Part of what makes this particular story so compelling is the way it places these two very specific forms of celebrity into conflict: transparent versus opaque, relatable versus aspirational. It’s Tiffany Haddish at her most Woman of the People — of course if you see someone bite Beyoncé you have to tell the world — and Beyoncé at her most unknowable and untouchable: Once attacked, she tells everyone around her to stand down, and then goes and slips opaque references about what just happened into lyrics she will later drop with no announcement into someone else’s song.

Plus, you know, it’s a story about how someone bit Beyoncé on the face.

Update: This story was originally published in March 2018. It has been updated to note that Haddish named Sanaa Lathan as the Beyoncé biter.

Original Source -> Why Tiffany Haddish’s “someone bit Beyoncé” story is so enthralling

via The Conservative Brief

[living-the-fastlife]

Another year has come and gone and what better way to wrap up the year than with this End of Year Survey, created by Jamie @ Perpetual Page Turner. 

Number of books I read:

Number of rereads: Sadly I only managed to fit in one reread, A Darker Shade of Magic.

Genre I read the most from: Contemporary (a surprise since Fantasy has always been my most read genre in years past)

1. BEST BOOK I READ IN 2016:

Top 3 A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo The Hard Count by Ginger Scott. 

2. BOOK I WAS EXCITED ABOUT AND THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO LOVE MORE BUT DIDN’T

Riders wasn’t a pure disappointment but I did expect more. The book served as a nice introduction to the world and I’m hoping it’s sequel can elaborate on some aspects. 

3. MOST SURPRISING (IN A GOOD OR BAD WAY) BOOK I READ

The Weight of Feathers. I knew it was a Romeo and Juliet inspired magical realism tale but I wasn’t expecting it to be so beautiful. The writing was captivating, the characters were fascinating and the book really explored the beauty in the simplicity. 

4. BOOK I PUSHED THE MOST PEOPLE TO READ (AND THEY DID)

I’ll Meet You There is the one book that I will always push onto people and I am happy to see that some people have picked up this beauty of a book. 

5. BEST SERIES I STARTED IN 2016? BEST SEQUEL OF 2016? BEST SERIES ENDER OF 2016?

Best Series Started: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff Best Sequel: A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab Best Series Ender: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

6. FAVOURITE NEW AUTHOR I DISCOVERED IN 2016

Sarina Bowen. I completely devoured her True North series. Great characters that I could easily realate to, swoony romances and a great exploration of multitude of themes e.g. drug addiction.

7. BEST BOOK FROM A GENRE I DON’T TYPICALLY READ/WAS OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE

This was the year for Sports Contemporary books. I’m not one to read a lot of New Adult books but the little corner I’ve discovered in Sports contemporary novels has provided some of the funniest and addictive books I’ve ever read. I’m definitely a fan of this genre. 

8. MOST ACTION-PACKED/THRILLING/UNPUTDOWNABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR

Crooked Kingdom. Can I just use this book for every question? This book was so worth all of the sleep I sacrificed. Filled with an intricate plot, unpredictable plot twists and incredibly character insights, Crooked Kingdom was hands down the most addictive book I read in 2016. 

9. BOOK I READ IN 2016 THAT I’M MOST LIKELY TO REREAD NEXT YEAR

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin. While I’m still heartbroken over the events of it’s sequel, Wolf by Wolf was another addictive read. I love the cross continental setting and the underlying themes of identity and fascinating characters were an added bonus. 

10. FAVOURITE COVER OF A BOOK I READ IN 2016

SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA

SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA

Nevernight. I loved the book and the cover, red sprayed edges and just the entire design of the book is beautiful. The maps are my favourite part though.

11. MOST MEMORABLE CHARACTER OF 2016

The Bastard of the Barrel aka Dirtyhands aka Kaz Brekker. What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this man. He is ruthless, greedy and has a penchant for violence and chaos. However, he’s also a man full of grief and complex layers and would crawl to the edge of the earth to get his Wraith back. Every single character in this series were an absolute delight to read about. 

12. MOST BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN BOOK READ IN 2016

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta. It doesn’t have a flowery prose or anything fancy. Most wouldn’t name this book as their most beautifully written but the simplicity of the book is what makes it so effective in portraying the affects of depression on a family. 

13. MOST THOUGHT-PROVOKING/LIFE-CHANGING BOOK OF 2016

I wouldn’t call it a life changing book but Salt to the Sea definitely had a huge impact on me. To think that this maritime tragedy has gone overlooked when an estimate of 9000 lives were claimed by the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff is unbelievable. It definitely sheds a light on such a monumental event and further highlights the horrors of war.

14. BOOK I CAN’T BELIEVE I WAITED UNTIL 2016 TO FINALLY READ

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie. This is my kind of fantasy. The plot follow the typical fantasy trajectory but its the characters that makes this book so incredible. This is the ultimate underdog story and the representation of women is phenomenal.

15. FAVOURITE PASSAGE/QUOTE FROM A BOOK I READ IN 2016

“Maybe there were people who lived those lives. Maybe this girl was one of them. But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.” – Crooked Kingdom, Leigh Bardugo

16. SHORTEST AND LONGEST BOOK I READ IN 2016

17. BOOK THAT SHOCKED ME THE MOST

Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin. I should have seen this coming but it doesn’t mean I wanted it to happen. This event was shocking and gut-wrenching and I’m still so bitter about it. That moment hurt!

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP!)

Shazi x Khalid, The Wrath and the Dawn duology. This is my kind of romance. The swoon levels were off the charts in this series. Why? Because of the respect shown between Shazi and Khalid. They are equals in every possible way and the maturity of their relationship was incredible.

19. FAVOURITE NON-ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP OF THE YEAR

Kate and August, This Savage Song. A most unlikely friendship but one that definitely kept me on the edge. These two were on the run for most of the book and along the way they both learn to embrace parts of themselves they’ve tried to deny for so long. 

20. FAVOURITE BOOK I READ IN 2016 FROM AN AUTHOR I’VE READ PREVIOUSLY

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson. My go-to contemporary author. Her books always deliver and as always the delicate balance between the friendship, romantic and family dynamics were greatly established.

21. BEST BOOK I READ IN 2016 THAT I READ BASED SOLELY ON A RECOMMENDATION

Air Awakens by Elise Kova. I love the cover but at the time it wasn’t enough to sway me. Then I read all the glowing reviews for the series and had to check the book out.

22. NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH FROM A BOOK I READ IN 2016

Garrett Graham, The Deal. This man, oh how he makes me swoon. I didn’t really like him at first but as his friendship with Hannah developed and blossomed into a beautiful romance he also managed to steal my heart in the process. He’s an incredibly supportive friend and boyfriend and I would snatch him up in a heartbeat. 

23. BEST 2016 DEBUT THAT I READ

A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet. Again, I didn’t know what to expect from this book but I loved the incorporation of Greek mythology and the camaraderie between Griffin, Cat and the rest of the company was hilarious.

24. BEST WORLDBUILDING/MOST VIVID SETTING I READ THIS YEAR

Nevernight. Despite my qualms with the footnotes, I must admit they did ultimate help clarify some things about the world. Do I remember every detail, no, but I did finish the book with a clear understanding of the type of world this book is set in.

25. BOOK THAT PUT A SMILE ON MY FACE/WAS THE MOST FUN TO READ

The Deal by Elle Kennedy. Hilarious, addictive and swoony. The banter between the guys and Hannah was on point and there were plenty of laugh out loud moments in this book. 

26. BOOK THAT MADE ME CRY OR NEARLY CRY IN 2016

Crooked Kingdom is the only book that succeeded in making me cry this year. I won;t spoil the moment but it was soul-crushing and happened at the moment I dared to hope that everyone was out in the clear. 

27. HIDDEN GEM OF THE YEAR

Rites of Passage by Joy. N. Hensely. I would not be able to survive a military academy. I was exhausted after 5 minutes. The intensity levels are taken to new heights in this book and I definitely appreciated Sam’s determination to prove to everyone that she belonged.

28. BOOK THAT CRUSHED YOUR SOUL

Blood For Blood: See no. 17.

29. MOST UNIQUE BOOK THAT I READ IN 2016

Something  Real by Heather Demetrios. Reality TV is not something I follow but this book did an excellent job at exploring the dark side to this world and how manipulative and damaging it can be for someone so young to have her identity carved out by the producers of the show.

30. BOOK THAT MADE ME THE MOST MAD

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry: I loved this book but Breanna’s parents drove me absolutely insane. The way they treated her was horrible and I hate how they thought that years of neglect could be pushed aside the moment she finds happiness in someone they disapprove of.

1. FAVOURITE BOOK BLOG I DISCOVERED IN 2016

I don’t know if I discovered them in 2016 but some of my favourite blogs are Nick and Nereyda @ Nick and Nereyda’s Infinite Booklist, Aimal @ Bookshelves and Paperbacks, Richard @ The Humpo Show, Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse. These are just a few of the amazing blogs I’ve come across and I’m hoping to up my blog hopping game in 2017 cause I have been slacking as of late.

2. FAVOURITE REVIEW THAT I WROTE IN 2016

I have two; the first one is my review of The Hard Count by Ginger Scott. The second is my review for Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys 

3. BEST DISCUSSION/NON-REVIEW POST I HAD ON MY BLOG

I’ve not done many discussion posts but I was quite proud of my post on the ways to beating a reading slump

4. BEST EVENT THAT I PARTICIPATED IN

Again I’ve not participated in many of these because events like the twitter chats and such take place at 2am UK time. Time zones suck. On top of that when it comes to book signings, the closest one to home would be a good 2 hour drive away.

5. BEST MOMENT OF BOOKISH/BLOGGING LIFE 

My one year blogiversary. I gave myself a hefty pat on the back for reaching that milestone. 

6. MOST CHALLENGING THING ABOUT BLOGGING OR MY READING LIFE THIS YEAR

Keeping up with comments and blog hopping. I’ve been slacking on that front as of late and it is something I plan on improving on this year.

7. MOST POPULAR POST THIS YEAR ON MY BLOG

My most popular blog post was the Bloggers to Follow Top Ten Tuesday topic. My most popular review was A Gathering of Shadows

8. POST I WISH GOT A LITTLE MORE LOVE

My TV Talk for Mr. Robot and my review for The Hard Count.

9. BEST BOOKISH DISCOVERY

Bookstagram. I might not be the most active user but I love all the bookstagram accounts that have popped up over the year or so.

10. DID I COMPLETE ANY READING CHALLENGES OR GOALS THAT I HAD SET FOR YOURSELF?

1. ONE BOOK I DIDN’T GET TO IN 2016 BUT WILL BE MY #1 PRIORITY READ IN 2017

Where do I even begin. There are a lot of books I failed to read in 2016 and plan on reading in 2017. These include; The Winner’s Trilogy, Gemina and Outrun the Moon.

2. BOOK I AM MOST ANTICIPATING FOR 2017 (NON-DEBUT)

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

3. 2017 DEBUT I AM MOST ANTICIPATING

Wait for Me by Caroline Leech

4. SERIES ENDING/A SEQUEL I AM MOST ANTICIPATING IN 2017

A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

5. ONE THING I HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH OR DO IN MY READING/BLOGGING LIFE IN 2017

Comment/blog hop more. Write more discussion posts. I’m also considering writing some TV/Film reviews but I’m not sure if anyone would be interested in that. 

6. A 2017 RELEASE I’VE ALREADY READ AND RECOMMEND TO EVERYONE

Sad news. I’ve not read a single books since the first week of December. I hate this slump.

That was my reading year. How was your 2016 reading year?

      2016 End of Year Survey Another year has come and gone and what better way to wrap up the year than with this End of Year Survey, created by Jamie…